Blow-out preventer



Nov. 3, 1931. G. H. c.' VAN KEULEN 1,830,214

BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed March 18, 1929 zsheets-sneet 1 Nov. 3, 1931. l G. Hr. c. 1VAN KEULEN 1,830,214

BLOW-OUT PR EEEEE ER Patented Nov. 3, 19.31

l UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE '.ODEFRIDUS HENDRIKUS CLEEKX vAN KEULEN, 0F THE HAGUA'E, NETHERLANDS, AS- SIGNOR T NAAMLOOZE VENNOOTSCHAP @DE BATAAFSCHE PETROLEUM MAAT- SGHAPPIJ', 0F THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, A, COMPANY OF THE NETHERLANDS BLOW-OUT PREVIELNTER Application led March 18, 1929, Serial No. 347,999, and in the Netherlands December 29, 1928.

My invention relates to improvements in )low out preventers as used for checking the low of oil, gas, etc. from deep wells. As `he casing often contains a string of drill pipe, lrilling rods, or a cable, the casing head :hould also be adapted to seal the annular :pace around said members. Present blow )ut preventers have, inter alia, the inconienience that it .is difficult to apply the reluired checking members when the explosion r eruptionA has already begun', or to satisactorily seal the drillingv rod or cable. Morenver, when the head'comprises a slide valve nember, the diiiculty is experienced that the ightness of the shut oli' is not increased by the )ressure' acting from below. Still another lisadvantage of present devices of this character is that the drilling rod cannot well be llamped if, as often occurs, its thickness is omewhat reduced.

The object of the present invention is to ,void the aforesaid inconveniences and to rovide for a well a blow out preventer which s reliable in operation under all conditions. Vithv this object in view, my invention coni'sts in the combination of certain parts as lefined in the appended claims.'

In order that the invention may be clearly lnderstood, I shall now proceed to describe he same in detail with reference to the an- ;exed drawings, illustratin a preferred emodiment thereof by way o example'but not EE limitation, and in which Fig. 1 is partly a top view, partly a horizonal section on the broken line I--I in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is partly a side-elevational view of he interior of the blow out preventer, partly vertical section on the broken line II-II n Fig. 1. i

Figs. 3-7 f are diagrams illustrating. five haracteristic positions of the checking and ealing members.

`The housing 2, which is adapted to be seur'ed to the top of the deep well casing by leans of-a bottom flange 1,1s provided with ear and front covers 3 and 4, respectively, nd encloses two rollers 5, 6 which snugly fit ne curved inner ,walls of the housing and are i Icontact with one another along a genera ."ix. `Said rollersare symmetric as far as the recesses therein are concerned. As to these recesses the portions 7 thereof are cylindrical and have a radius equal to that of the passages of the bottom iiange 1 and the top flange 10,`

whereas the portions 8', which are also cylindrical and the axes of which are at right angles to those of the portions 7, have adiameter slightly smaller than the minimum thickness of the drill stem to be used. That portion of each recess, which forms the transition between the cylindrical portions 8 and 7, is 'flared and so shaped that in' planes assing through the axis of the roller its pro e is as far as possible circular, it being understood that at 9 the cross sectional area of the passage constituted byr'said flared portions of both rollers slightly exceeds that of the maximum thickness of the drilling rod used.

The rollers 5, 6 are rovided on their end faces with square soc ets 11 for receiving square blocks 12 each having 'a square hole into which projects a square of a worm shaft 13. Each worm shaft 13 carries a worm wheel 14 cooperating with a worm 15, the spindle 18 of which pass through a stuiing box 17.

The worm wheels 14 and, consequently, the rollers 5, 6 are adapted to'be-rotated in o posite directions because of the one worm aving a right handed and the other aleft handed thread.

In the space below the rollers 5, 6 theiullv pressure of the explosion or eruption may set up. This necessitates the provision of the stuiling box 17 for avoiding the escape of gases `and liquid leaking along the worm wheel shafts 13, and of nozzles 16 for the connection of discharge pipes.`

When the rollers and 6, by means of the worm mechanism, have. been turned into the osition shown in Fig. 3, thedrilling rod can reelybe lowered into the well casing. After,

the introduction of said stem, the rollers are turned until they assume the position shown in Fig. 4. In this position, the cross sectional area of the passage at 9 isv suicient to ensure the required lateral freedom of motion of the drilling rod 19. In the case of an eruption, all thatis required isturning the rollers a little further into the position illustrated in Fig. 5, when the drilling rod i length that the shut-ofi' mechanism cank be operated from a safe distance.

Fig. 6 shows how the rollers 5, 6 completely shut ojthe mouth of the well if no drilling rod projects from the same.

The housing 2 still contains wedge-shaped f keys 20 and bearing bars 21 snugly fitting against theI covers 3, 4 and the rollers 5, 6. If

said keys are tightened up, the rollers, which move slightly apart when clamping the drill stem, will again be forced against one an. other whereby a perfect seal is ensured. When the keys 20 have been tightened, the worm wheels can no more be turned so that no accidents can occur.

As will be seen, the blocks 12 have a small amount of clearance in their sockets 11, so that the forces which tend to move the rollers apart cannot be transmitted to and cause axis of said anges, the recess of each rol comprising, in addition to a semi-cylindrt gortion having a radius equal to that of s:

anges, a semi-cylindrical portion having smaller radius, the generatrices of both si portions extending .at right angles to i aires of said rollers but being angularly d posed relative to one another, the recess hf ing a smaller radius comprising a ared p1 tion forming a transition into the recess hz ing the larger radius.

2. In the combination, as specified in cla 1, bearing' bars provided in said housii snugly fitting against the covers thereof a wedge-shaped keys in contact with said be:

ing bars and arranged to forcibly movesz rollers into contact with one another, at t same time locking the means for rotating se rollers. In testimony whereofvI ax my signatu GODEFRIDUS HENDRKUS CLERK'X van KEULEE dangerous stresses in the operating mecha,

msm.

The rollers being provided with sockets 11 at both ends, they can be placed rightside left. In the position shown, the walls of the recesses 8, 9 act to prevent the drilling rod from being forced upward. If., however, the rollers are placed .rightside left, they can be l -used to prevent the rodffrom falling into the well, both during the introduction of the rod into and its removal from the well. For this and other purposes it may be desirable to provide the rollers with intermeshing spur wheels instead of worm wheels and to secure to one of the roller shafts a lever by means of which the opening and the shutting-0E can be effected very quickly.

The roller shafts may project from the housing 2 and be provided with vdisks indieating the position assumed by the recesses in the rollers.

After removal of the rear cover 3, the roll.- ers can easily be withdrawn from-their housing and be placed rightside left, or be replacedby other rollers if a drilling rod of a different gauge is to be used.

The recesses of the rollers may be so formed as to be adapted to clam instead of a circular or square drilling ro oi a given gauge, a rope or similar exible element.

1. In a -blowout reventer for wells and the like, a housing aving aligned top and bottom anges, two rotatable rollers horizontally mounted lin said housingvso as to en- Vgage one another -along a generatrix, and

means for rotating said. rollersin opposite directions, said rollers having symmetrical' mating recesses adapted to form a passage 

